KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said he was devastated by the “complete failure” of the international community in pushing to end Israel’s atrocities on Gaza.

“I failed to understand that, frankly. I am completely devastated by these complete failure of international community in the name of democracy and human rights,” he said.

He said this in an interview with India Today Global on the sideline of his three-day official visit to New Delhi this week.

Anwar said he had recently spoken to Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian on the progress of the ceasefire talks as well as the development in the region.

In his conversation with these leaders, Anwar said he had expressed support to end the war atrocities on Gaza at all cost.

Anwar said he does not condone atrocities committed by any side, and even in his exchanges with Hamas leaders, he had told them that as friend he is for peace and peaceful resolution to the conflict.

“I don’t consider Hamas as terrorist (group), because they are fighting for their freedom. If you a strong with terrorism, how about colonisation, what about politics of dispossession? Why the double standard?,” he asked.

He said the atrocities committed by the Zionist regime on the Palestinian people and its land was not started on Oct 7 last year, but has been ongoing since more than 70 years ago.

“To me, first stop the colonisation, there is no way can a sane person in this day and age condone aggression, colonisation.

“But it has been condoned and they give umpteen reasons to rationalise that (attacks) just because of Oct 7. So, why this attitude of condescending?,” he said.

Israel’s continued incessant attacks on Gaza since Oct 7 has killed over 40,000 Palestinians and injuring nearly 93,000 since Oct 7, despite UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.

The ongoing blockade also caused the enclave to be in severe shortages of basic necessities including food, clean water, fuel, and medicine, while much of Palestinian lands are in ruins.